Work-supporting-horn pressure and locking mechanism.



P. A. COUPAL. WORK SUPPORTING HORN PRESSURE AND LOOKING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION TILED JULY-28, 1911.

1,031,985 Patented July 9,1912.

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ad V P. A. OOUPAL. WORK SUPPORTING HORN PRESSURE AND LOCKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 120.. WASHINGTON, D c.

P. A. GOUPAL.

WORK SUPPORTING HORN PRESSURE AND LOOKING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

1,031,985. Patented July 9, 1912.

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PETER A. COUPAL, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BUFFALO SHOE 00., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPQRATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

WORK-SUPPORTING-HORN PRESSURE AND LOOKING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. CoUrAL, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in WVork-Supporting-Horn Pressure and Looking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in horn pressure and locking mechanisms for use in connection with machines for driving nails, tacks, staples and other fasteners and.

is particularly intended and adapted to be used in connection with staple machines of the class represented by the patent to H. H. Cummings and myself, No. 493,910, dated March 21, 1893, and my application for machines for making and driving staples, filed February 21, 1910, Serial No. 545,011, al though it will be distinctly understood that my invention is applicable to other types of machines.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved means for alternately increasing and diminishing the pressure of the horn against the work and locking the horn after the pressure has thus been increased and to provide for a more certain, eflicient and reliable action of the locking mechanism than has heretofore been possible.

Another object is to effect improvements in the horn pressure mechanism whereby a predetermined amount of upward pressure shall be intermittently applied to the horn opposed to the action of the awls and driver irrespective of the thickness of the work between the work-supporting horn and the work plate so that a minimum pressure shall be exerted during the feeding movement of the shoe and a predetermined maximum pressure shall be exerted at the moment when the locking of the horn takes place preparatory to the operation of the awls and driver in making holes in the stock and driving the staples therein.

To these ends, my invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a work-supporting horn pressure and locking mechanism embodying Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 28, 1911.

Patented July 9,1912.

Serial No. 641,168.

my invention as applied to a staple machine of the class above referred to, such parts of the staple machine as are not necessary to the illustration of my present invention being omitted. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the mechanism showing the upper portion of the treadle rod, the auxiliary spring, the pawl and ratchet by means of which the increased pressure is intermittently applied to the auxiliary spring and the means for locking the treadle rod and the horn after the pressure has thus been increased, the parts being shown in their initial positions. Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the pawl in engagement with the ratchet, the auxiliary spring being fully compressed and the treadle rod being locked. Fig. at is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2 viewed from the right hand side thereof. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, referring now particularly to Fig. 1, 6 is the frame of the machine comprising a base 7, a column 8 and a head casting 9 supported thereon. Journaled in the head casting 9 is a driving shaft 10 by means of which the various mechanisms of the machine are driven. A work plate 11 stationary rest for the shoe or other work which is held against the bottom of said plate by a work-supporting horn 12 which is adapted to enter the shoe and rest against the inner or upper side of the sole, said. horn being secured to a vertical shaft 13 which is journaled in an upper bearing 14 and a lower bearing 15 on a horn treadle 16, whereby said horn may be controlled in its vertical movements by said treadle. In Fig. 1, the horn 12 is shown in its uppermost position and it will be understood that when the work is located between the work plate 11 and the horn 12, said horn will be depressed according to the thickness of the stock.

The horn treadle 16 is pivotally mounted on a pivot 17 and is pivotally connected at its rear end to a horn treadle rod 18 mounted to slide vertically in guides 19 and 20 provided in the head casting 9. A helical extension spring 21 surrounding the treadle rod 18 is secured at its upper end to a collar 22 secured to said rod, while the lower end of said spring is secured to a collar 23 within which said rod is adapted to slide, the collar 23 being held against vertical movement by a bracket 24 which extends into a groove 25 formed in the collar 23. Thus it will be seen that the spring 21 tends to move the rod 18 downwardly and, accordingly, tends to move the shaft 13 and horn 12 upwardly. This spring serves to provide a minimum upward pressure upon the horn and it will be understood that this pressure is sufliciently light to permit the feeding movement of the work between the horn 12 and the work plate 11.

An adjustable stop screw 26 having screwthreaded engagement with the treadle rod 16 is adapted to abut at its lower end against a stationary stop or abutment 27 thereby limiting the upward movement of the horn 12 under the influence of the spring 21. V

A helical compression spring 28 encircling the treadle rod 18 and serving as an auxiliary to the spring 21 bears at its lower end against a collar 29 secured to said rod, while the upper end of the spring 28 bears against a collar 30 which is slidable vertically upon said rod, the upward movement of the latter collar being limited by a collar 31 secured to said rod. Formed on or secured to the collar 30 is a rack or ratchet 32 which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 33 pivoted at- 34 to a pawl carrier 35, said pawl in the initial position of the machine being withheld from engagement with said ratchet by a guard plate or shield 36 secured to the head casting 9 of the machine. The pawl 33 is urged into engagement with the plate 36 or the ratchet 32, as

'the case may be, by a spring 37 encircling a pin 38 arranged to slide in the recess 39 provided in the pawl carrier 35 and bearing against the pawl 33.

The pawl carrier 35 is secured to a vertically slidable rod 40 which is arranged to slide in guides 41 and 42 provided on the head casting 9. An arm 43 rigidly secured to the rod 40 carries a cam roll 44 which is located in a cam groove 45 formed in the cam 46 secured to the driving shaft 10, said cam acting through the rod 40 to impart one complete reciprocation to the pawl 33 during each rotation of the driving shaft 10. A vertical guide pin 47 secured to the.

head casting 9 extends downwardly and constitutes a guide for the arm 43, thus acting to hold said arm and the rod 40 againstrotation in the guides 41 and 42. When the pawl 33 is carried downwardly under the influence of the cam 46, said pawl passes out of engagement with the guard plate 36 and into engagement with the nearest tooth of the ratchet 32, thereby carrying the collar 30 downwardly and thus compressing the spring 28, thereby during such down ward movement of said collar adding to the spring pressure which tends to move the work-supporting horn 12 upwardly. During the upward movement of the pawl 33, the compression of the spring 28 is corre spondingly diminished. It will be understood, however, that the collar 31 is so placed that the spring 28 is at all times under some compression.

In Fig. 1, the upper face of the horn 12 is at the minimum distance from the work plate 11. It will be seen that when the horn is in this position, the collar 30 will be carried downwardly by the pawl 33 to very nearly the entire stroke imparted thereto by the cam 46. If, however, a thicker piece of stock be placed between the work plate 1.1 and the horn 12 so as to move the horn downwardly, the rod 18 will act to carry the collar 30 and its ratchet 32 upwardly with respect to the guard plate 36 and, consequently, on the next downward stroke of the pawl 33, the same will engage the ratchet 32 at a lower point than before and hence the action of the cam 46 will notcarry the collar 30 as far as before. The purpose of this is to cause the spring pressure applied to the horn to be the same no matter what the thickness of stock may be between said horn and the work plate for it will be understood that were it not for the provision of the mechanism just de scribed the upward pressure on the horn would be greater with thick stock than it is with relatively thin stock. Thus it will be seen that the compression of the spring 28 is momentarily increased intermittently during the action of the awls and driver or other mechanism.

I will now proceed to describe the means whereby the horn is looked after the maxi mum pressure has been applied thereto as just described.

Surrounding the treadle rod 18 is an expansible and contractible device 48 preferably consisting of a split collar having two ears 49 and 50. Ascrew 51 looselyjournaled in the ear 50 has screw-threaded engagement with the ear 49 and is provided with a shoulder 52 whereby said screw may be rotated to move the ears 49 and 50 toward and away from each other to expand and contract the collar 48. If desired, there may be provided a washer 53 interposed between the shoulder 52 and the ear 50, the purpose of which will be presently explained. As a convenient means for imparting. an oscillatory motion to the screw 51 to expand and contract the collar 48, said screw is preferably connected by suitable means to the pawl carrier 35 so as to be operated by the reciprocative movement thereof, the pretoo ferred form of connecting means being as follows: The screw 51 is provided with an arm 54 which extends between two adjusting screws 55 and 56 having screw-threaded engagement with the ears 57 and 58, respectively, of a bifurcated lever 59, said lever being pivoted concentric with the axis of the screw 51 preferably by mounting the same upon a cylindrical shank 60 forming an extension of said screw, there being provided a nut 61 to retain said lever in place upon said shank. The shank 60 is preferably provided with a squared end 62 by means of which the screw 51 may be rotated for the purposes of adjustment. The screws 55 and 56 serve as a convenient means for adjusting the arm 54 with respect to the lever 59 whereby an adjustment of the screw 51 is effected. The lever 59 is connected to the pawl carrier 35 preferably by a link 63 pivoted at its upper end to said lever and at its lower end to said pawl carrier. The collar 48 is held against vertical movement by reason of the fact that it is interposed between the guide 20 and ear or bracket 64; formed on or secured to the head castin see particularly Fig. 4. It will now be seen that when the pawl carrier 35 starts to descend, the screw 51 will be rotated by the mechanism just described. The adjustmentof the screw, however, is so arranged, in practice, that the pawl will descend a sufficient portion of its travel to cause the collar 30 to compress the auxiliary spring 28 the proper amount, whereupon the collar 48 will firmly grip the treadle rod 18 and lock the same, thereby locking the horn 12 after the maximum pressure has been applied thereto. The moment at which the locking takes place will, of course, be determined by the adjustment of the screw 51 which is effected by the adjusting screws 55 and 56. It is, of course, desirable that the arm 54 shall be lo cated approximately midway between the ears 57 and 58 and, therefore, as wear takes place in the collar 48 and screw 51 it may be necessary to provide the washer 58, herein before referred to, as a filler to make such position of the arm 5& possible. It will now be evident that a predetermined amount of spring pressure will be inserted on the horn intermittently regardless of the thickness of stock between the horn and the work plate and that when the maximum pressure has been applied and the time arrives for the operation of awls, drivers or other devices upon the work the horn will be securely locked and, therefore, the blow or blows upon the work will cause no yielding of the horn.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to se cure is:

1. The combination, in a machine of the class described, of a work-supporting horn,

means for normally yieldingly urging said horn against the work, and means for locking said horn, said locking means including a rod, a collar within which said rod is longitudinally moved by movement of said horn, a screw for binding said collar upon said rod and provided with a laterally disposed member, a rocker arm pivotally mount-ed upon said screw and engaging said member, and mechanism to impart an oscillatory motion .to said rocker arm, whereby saidscrew is rocked about its axis to bind said collar upon said rod.

2. The combination, in a machine of the class described, of a work-supporting horn, means for normally yieldingly urging said horn against the work, and means for locking said horn, said locking means including a rod, a collar within which said rod is longitudinally moved by movement of said horn, a screw for binding said collar upon said rod, and provided with a laterally disposed member, a rocker arm pivotally mounted upon said screw and engaging said member, and adjusting means interposed between said rocker arm and said laterally disposed member, means to lock said rocker arm to said member and mechanism to impart an oscillatory motion to said rocker arm, whereby said screw is rocked about its axis to bind said collar upon said rod.

3. In a machine of the class described, a vertically movable work-supporting horn, a spring exerting a constant upward pressure on said horn, an auxiliary spring connected to said horn and automatic means for alternately increasing and diminishing the compression of said auxiliary spring and thereby alternately increasing and diminishing the upward pressure on said horn; in combination with means for normally locking said horn, said locking means including a rod, operatively connected with said horn, an expansible and contractible device within which said rod is longitudinally movable, an oscillatory member connected to said device and means connecting said oscillatory member with said automatic means whereby said device is expanded and contracted to lock and unlock said rod.

4. The combination, in a machine of the class described, of a vertically movable worksupporting horn, a spring exerting a constant upward pressure on said horn, an auxiliary spring connected to said horn, a treadle rod and treadle connected with said horn, a spring compression collar engaging said auxiliary spring and mounted to slide longitudinally of said rod, said collar being provided with a series of ratchet teeth, a pawl carrier mounted to move longitudinally of said rod, a pawl carried by said pawl carrier and adapted to engage said teeth, means on said rod to limit the motion of said collar under the influence of said auxiliary spring, a guard for normally with In testimony whereof I have hereunto set holding said pawl from engagement with my hand in presence of two subscribing witsaid teeth, and means for imparting a renesses.

ciprocatory motion to said pawl carrier PETER A. COUPAL. thereby to carry said pawl out of contact Witnesses:

with said guard and into engagement with LOUIS A. J ONES,

said teeth. S'ADIE V. MCCARTHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

